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12 February 2016

Actually, I tend to procrastinate, but I also get right on things when it behooves me to. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference because I do this all in my head first, then decide to act, or not.

So, I was in the basement recently, looking for my cheapo rock tumbler, that is filled with not so cheap stainless steel rods and shot. (Otherwise I would go out and buy another one so I can move forward with a jewelry project I started in November). Well, I did find a lot of stuff that wasn't a rock tumbler.

But I did find a Cool Thing. Amongst my mother's treasures there was a portfolio that I realized I had not even peeked into. Good thing I did.

In Memory of

Mr. Israel Stoddard

who died August 8th AD

1794 in the 63 year of

his age.

I wondered if he was a relative. It would make sense, but my mother has been know to record gravestones, just because she liked them. So, I spent a little time looking through my family tree, and yes, he is my 6th great grand uncle, according to Ancestry.com.

In the same packet was this interesting rubbing:

HERE LYES BURIED THE BODY

OF LIEV MEHUMAN HINSDEL

DEC. MAY Y 9 1736

IN THE 63 YEAR OF HIS

AGE. WHO WAS THE FIRST

MALE CHILD BORN IN THIS

PLACE AND WAS TWICE CAPTIVATED

BY THE INDIAN SALVAGES.

This gravestone rubbing is from Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. Not a relative, I'm pretty sure, but here is a peculiar thing. Three days after the discovery of these gravestone rubbings, I received an email from my cousin relating the experiences of our 8th great-aunt Eunice Mather Williams. The email contained a document from the Deerfield History Museum - it is a harrowing account of the capture and death of Eunice and a number of their children. If you are interested, the link is:

It still gives me the shivers when I think about it. Not only the story, but the timing of finding the rubbings and hearing from my cousin.

It also reminded me of the family factoid that someone in the family was Indian. This may very well be the link to that fact. Eunice's daughter Eunice survived the capture and journey to Canada, married a man from the Kanienkehaka tribe, and had three children.